This morning my computer failed. Windows attempted to install an updated, and it did not work. It froze the system, and it took down the operating system with it. It got worse when I tried to have Dell technical support help me fix the disaster Windows Update caused. All of the remedies they tried failed, and the last ditch effort of reverting to factory settings to reinstall the operating system became a non-starter because of the system failure from last month, which resulting in a rebuilding of the system. The new parts, motherboard, etc. are all optimized and specified for Windows 8 (my current operating system), but the factory settings were for Windows 7 (the original operating system), and something I don’t understand meant that the settings for the motherboard or something like that weren’t backward compatible with the original factory settings. The long and short of it was that it took six and half hours for the technicians to get the computer working again, and even now I’m not sure if it’s going to still be working if I try turning it off. It’s been one of those days.

So due to my computer crisis, I’m about seven hours behind on my work today and don’t have time to prepare a blog post. In lieu of that, I thought I’d point out that Presbyterian priest Barry Downing is still pushing his ancient astronaut theories! Downing, born in 1938, has been a fixture of central New York ufology for decades. He was a pastor at a church in Endwell, a suburb of Binghamton, in the Southern Tier of New York State. He recently spoke at the Endwell Rotary Club, where he told members that ancient astronaut theorists have it right about aliens being the true creators of humanity. “There are people who are private researchers who say that the, (sic) we have contacted the aliens and the aliens have said that they have developed many of the religions on earth,” Downing said. He also demanded that the United State government release any and all information about their knowledge of ancient astronauts and extraterrestrials’ role in the creation of humanity. “I think every religious leader has a right to know if the United States government has information about these issues,” he said. I grew up in a town near Syracuse, where Downing was born, so it’s somewhat amusing that the one-time Ancient Aliens theologian is still promoting his alien-themed work in and around New York State almost half a century later. Downing is most famous for his 1968 book The Bible and Flying Saucers, in which he postulated that Yahweh was a flying saucer piloted by aliens masquerading as angels, and Jesus was a space alien. He cited John 8:23 to prove that Jesus had come from outer space: “And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.” A confession if ever I’ve heard one! In the 1973 edition of The Bible and Flying Saucers, Downing said that Erich von Däniken helped to prove his thesis with his 1968 book Chariots of the Gods and to help shape humanity to better understand the alien truth behind history: “I do not recommend von Däniken as a careful Biblical scholar, nor as a theologian, but I think he has helped us make some important psychological adjustments.” In an article in the Binghamton Evening Press, included as an appendix to the 1973 volume, Downing went on to attack von Däniken for his shoddy understanding of the Bible, but it’s more interesting to see the way Downing’s quasi-spiritual view of biblical UFOs, expressed here, has overtaken the nuts-and-bolts ancient astronautics of Chariots of the Gods:

The space age is forcing us to ask the question: Is it possible the Old Testament and New Testament religions were DELIBERATELY brought about by beings from another world? This is a fearful question, but it is also a hopeful one. Von Däniken thinks the Biblical religion is an accidental byproduct of primitive contact with ancient astronauts. I think the Biblical religion is the deliberate work of ancient astronauts, or at least of Higher Beings.

Downing is perhaps one of the clearest exemplars of the way ancient astronautics exists to revitalize sclerotic old ideas in modern (or now postmodern or even post-postmodern) guise.

Even assuming AA were real, why would the US government have any secret information about them? The AA (assuming as above) haven't done anything new since long before the US was founded.

Reply

Barry H.Downing

4/1/2015 12:05:43 pm

Jason::May I recommend that your readers google "Dr. Barry Downing www.noufors.com/Document UFO Revelation," and click on to my free 80 page book that deals with the religious implications of alien presence, and government secrecy, for our modern situation. Barry Downiong

Hi Barry..I want to apologize for making you feel uncomfortable decades ago,when you came into my ME HS class debate on flying saucers. You kindly acted as judge of the debate that turned sour with student sarcasism on the negative side. I don't remember the debate title but I believe it may have been Earth has been visited by flying saucers from an alien world...something like that.
I believe you were upset and I still feel badly about that and apologize if you were offended. I still have an open mind on the topic, read your book decades ago, before the student debate ..well worth the read.
Peace and all.good things Barry
Jack gilroy

Jason Cox

11/20/2017 11:57:32 pm

Hello Jason / Barry (anyone else listening) I am 44 years old and researched my whole life on the big questions "who created us / where do we come from"? I grew up in a christian home but lost my way in my teens. I've explored the paranormal and the many many other religions man has mostly created. The one constant with proof positive is the Bible. People, places and prophecy can and have been measured and proved. If this is the case and the Bible is true so is the devil and his constant disruption in what is true for us all. I'm not quite sure why Mr. Downing would be called Rev anymore considering his beliefs. The simplest answer to the alien agenda can be found in Gary Bates and the Alien Intrusion book and film (out Jan / 2018) this is so obvious why anyone especially a christian wouldn't understand it baffles me. God bless you sir and I hope God touches your heart.

John E Chitty

12/23/2017 09:34:50 am

Were you able to break the Revelation code? Its incredible!
"The Broken Bible: Picking Up The Extraterrestrial Pieces"

Reply

Clete

3/18/2015 09:51:19 am

I'm not concerned too much about if the U.S. government is hiding ancient astronaut evidence. What should be disclosed, what the citizens of the United States really want to know is if Elvis is still alive.

"The space age is forcing us to ask the question: Is it possible the Old Testament and New Testament religions were DELIBERATELY brought about by beings from another world?"

I don't know how that accords with Yahweh being a flying saucer. I mean, one of the main bullet points of Jesus' message was that should all worship God. If Downing is right, then a lot of people suffered terrible persecution for listen to the bearded prankster who wanted mankind to kowtow to the Jupiter 2.

Reply

Only Me

3/18/2015 11:29:07 am

A few years back, Michael Heiser did a decent job of addressing how Downing liked to add elements to Biblical passages to support his UFOs in the Bible nonsense. In short, things he said were in those passages are not to be found.

Reply

Shane Sullivan

3/18/2015 11:40:56 am

Wait a minute, you mean to tell me the Ancient Astronaut Theorists are just making things up now!? =P

Only Me

3/18/2015 12:12:05 pm

Only mavericks like Vallée, Downing, etc.

The real McCoys have their own TV shows, which, as we all know, have a VERY positive value in stimulating interest in and discussion of North American history and pre-history...

I...I just crossed the streams, didn't I?

EP

3/18/2015 12:15:03 pm

Wait a minute, you mean to tell me Christians are just making things up now!? :P

Hypatia

3/18/2015 03:37:03 pm

I'm confused. Was Jesus an alien, a son of an alien, a human in touch with the aliens, a human unaware of the aliens, the son of God who supervises those aliens, or is God another alien, or what?

Only Me

3/19/2015 05:19:20 am

@Hypatia

Yes. :)

Clint Knapp

3/18/2015 02:58:00 pm

You might consider downloading and burning a copy of Ubuntu to DVD just in case you run against this problem again. I'm not sure what's supposed to be "optimized and specified" about your hardware setup that it should only work for Windows 8, but I'm guessing it's not exactly true.

At any rate, you can run Ubuntu directly from the installation "live cd" without actually installing it to the hard drive by going into your BIOS setup (usually F12 at boot, but it should tell you onscreen) and just shifting the DVD drive above the HDD in the boot order list. When it loads, it'll give the option to Try Ubuntu or Install, and you can just pick Try to run it without making changes to your current installation. Typically, even if Windows won't load, your BIOS will, so this shouldn't be a problem.

It's a very easy to use OS, compatible with most hardware configurations, and even if you don't install it you'll be able to use the live-cd option to get access to your hard drive through the file manager and the Internet should Windows decide to die again.

Linux-based operating systems like Ubuntu have made great strides since the early days of tedious manual configurations and hours-long installs, and Ubuntu's got it down to about 10 clicks for a basic wipe-everything installation. Dual-boot and data preservation installs are a different story, though, and dependent on how much you want to save and how. For now, though, a Live CD as a back-up option wouldn't be a bad idea.

Reply

Hypatia

3/18/2015 03:39:06 pm

Do it, Jason. Windows sucks.

Reply

Shane Sullivan

3/18/2015 06:17:46 pm

Good advice. I've been using Linux since a virus broke my Windows OS about five years ago. I've been happy with it ever since, and the first thing I did after getting a new computer was to install the newest version of Mint.

Clint Knapp

3/18/2015 06:34:48 pm

Windows certainly has its uses when it comes to compatibility with the rest of the world and support for commercial software and PC gaming, but Linux has been growing in leaps in and bounds over the years to the point that it's really dominating every market except the home-user one. Most web servers and supercomputers run one form of Linux or another these days.

It can be a little bit of a culture shock adapting to the switch as you find which programs work best for your needs if you have a lot of unconventional requirements (or happen to be a total UI snob like I am), but since I assume most of what Jason does is word processing and Internet tools (Jason and his keyboard!), there's almost no difference. LibreOffice ships with Ubuntu, but I can't speak to other flavors/distros, and The GIMP is still the best image manipulation program money can't buy.

Of course, for everything you can't find native for Linux for there's always the option to run it through Wine, though that can lead to some compatibility issues. In the long run, though, you'll have fewer issues with resource-hogging background apps, automatic updates that break everything, and viruses/malware bogging you down since every action that can impact the OS itself requires your password validation.

Dell won't like you anymore, though all they really ever cared about was making money off your OS license anyway.

EP

3/19/2015 05:38:48 am

Get a Mac, Jason. Seriously. I have always hated Mac users, until I got one and it's really worth the emasculation :)

Reply

Jim

3/20/2015 02:29:16 am

Drop Windows, skip Linux, and go straight to Mac. Windows and Linux both have to maintain an OS code base that will support a wide array of hardware, so they end up bloated and catering to the lowest common denominator. Because Apple controls both the hardware and software, Macs are highly optimized, much more stable, and just work - especially if you phone and tablet are also part of the Apple ecosystem.

I am forced to use a Dell laptop Windows computer at work, but my home computer is a 15" MacBook Pro. I constantly use both- most of my waking hours are spent behind a computer. In my opinion, there is no comparison. Macs are the superior choice.

Reply

Clint Knapp

3/20/2015 03:01:34 am

Certainly, if he's in the market for something entirely new and wants to eliminate the hassle of Windows a Mac would be a viable way to go. However, if the only thing wrong with the Dell he's got is the OS (it already got a new motherboard recently) and he doesn't want to just throw out the money he's already spent trying to fix it, slapping a fresh Linux install over it would be a far more cost effective way to keep the machine (ie. free) he's got running without having to go out-of-pocket for a new machine entirely.

Data retention is probably one of Jason's primary concerns, as well. I imagine there are a lot of research materials and years of correspondences sitting on his hard drive he might want to keep without too much hassle. A little creative partitioning to isolate what he's got now so it isn't wiped in a fresh install would be a lot easier than having to transfer it all to another medium and then onto a new Mac.

titus pulllo

3/18/2015 03:06:54 pm

Oh yes central NY, a hot bed of religious "enthusiasts" to be kind. Seriously it is land of cold winters and not much to do in the old days. Now skiing and winery touring (150 wineries or more but I recommend renting a limo for the day so you can get bombed). Also enough former military bases (Grifiss AFB was a SAC base with nukes and a research lab, Seneca Army Depot with nukes). The area has a bit of a haunting aspect to it on a cold autumn night...ha ha

Reply

Hypatia

3/19/2015 03:12:27 am

All is not well in Endwell, I see. But very nice fall colors.

Reply

Titus pullo

3/19/2015 01:37:13 pm

From he Cardiff giant to the fox sisters to Joseph smith the area has a long history of fringe things. Ufo sightings around the old griffiss afb are still being talked about on local late night radio. Look up the Walesville ufo attack on an Air Force fighter out if Griffiss AFB, no real ufo but classic interpretation by ufo nuts of an explained crash,

diggity

3/18/2015 06:57:23 pm

So basically, he wants an unbiased realease of documents so he can apply a biased interpretation.

Reply

Clint Knapp

3/18/2015 07:13:38 pm

This might be the most succinct description of the UFO community's desires as they pertain to Freedom of Information I've ever read. Well said.

Reply

EP

3/19/2015 05:43:11 am

All these disclosure assholes really don't appreciate the extent to which the US government is actually willing to bend over backwards to satisfy their ridiculous requests.

Of course, they black out sources and methods that have nothing to do with the request, so they are still fascist NWO Reptilian collaborators. Who cares that it protects national security and safety of government agents!

Assholes.

Clint Knapp

3/19/2015 06:30:27 am

Quite so. It doesn't help matters any when a President, current or former, can't go on a talk show for a nice laid back appearance meant to humanize him to the public without being pestered with the Area 51 question, either.

Disclosure assholes have a field day with it every time. Whether the man in question takes the joke and runs with it like President Obama did on Kimmel recently, or gets annoyed and just looks uncomfortable like President Clinton did on the same show, it's yet another excuse to bark up the disclosure tree and pretend the government that's already given them reams of files on every whacky subject known to man is still hiding something.

EP

3/19/2015 06:44:40 am

At least they have an ally in RT. And the famously transparent and responsible government that funds it. :)

an urgent Message from God for You:
"Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it."(Malachi 3:10)
--------
I Pastor Pooyan Vosoughipour as a servant of Lord Jesus have served him among Iranian and Persian-speaking society and refugees Since i came to turkey as asylum-seeker in 2013.
We really eager to participate in work of god and also developing kingdom of God among Iranian,Afghanian,Tajiks,Arabian also Turkish people.we hope that we could achieve to our dream with your spiritual and financial supports to teach and guide those Who are looking to find the real truth and also gain from your spiritual experiences.because there are lots of broken-heart and Wounded people who need to hear from word of living god and also message of salvation from bible. in order to achieve this Dream our servants need to supports from NGOs and organizations whom lead by power of Holy spirit so by this we will make it True man and women of god to serve in order to glorify name of God between believers and even non-believers.
If it's necessary we can send you proof of our ministries and also details of our services.
Below and at the end we'd like to briefly mention to some of our dreams which we received from God:
- Establishing church for Persian,Turkish and Arabs people.
- Protecting Christians who are under prosecution in Asia.
- Campaigns for supporting unsupported widowed women and children of labor,Certain patients and addicted people.
- Establishing theology university and educating missioners.
- Translating and Interpreting of Word of God and publishing books for new-believers and truth-seekers To Persian,Arabic and Turkish Languages.
- and even more Goals like healing and salvation conference...
We eagerly looking forward to hear from you.
"The Grace of our Lord Jesus Be With you,Now and Forever,Amen..."
Your Sincerely
Pastor Pooyan Vosoughipour

Reply

Leave a Reply.

Author

I'm an author and editor who has published on a range of topics, including archaeology, science, and horror fiction. There's more about me in the About Jason tab.